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HX64111318 
RA982.J55  W51        History  ot  the  Jewis 


RECAP 


HQSPITAL^'^IBBOCI  ATI 


By    henry    N.  WESSEL,   Secretary 


DECEMBER  FIRST,  1908 


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l^eference  Xibrarp 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  witii  funding  from 

Open  Knowledge  Commons 


http://www.archive.org/details/historyofjewishhOOwess 


ABRAHAM  SULZBERGER 


HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWISH 
HOSPITAL  ASSOCIATION 
OF     PHILADELPHIA 


BY 
HENRY  N.  WESSEL 

SECRETARY 


IK 


DECEMBER  FIRST 
1908 


Vc.  «>  a  V  ^  ^v4„  oArC  a  K^  <^ , 


PRESS  OF 

EDWARD  STERN  &  CO.,  INC. 

PHILADELPHIA 


History  of  the  Jewish  Hospital  Association 

OF  PHILADELPHIA 
By  Henry  N.  Wessel,  Secretary 


THIS  HOSPITAL 

WAS  ERECTED  BY  THE  VOLUNTARY  CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  THE 

ISRAELITES  OF  PHILADELPHIA 

AND   IS   DEDICATED   TO   THE   RELIEF   OF   THE   SICK  AND    WOUNDED 

WITHOUT  REGARD  TO  CREED,  COLOR  OR  NATIONALITY 

under  the  management  of  a  board  composed  of  members  of  the 
Jewish  Hospital  Association 


This  inscription  over  the  main  entrance  to  the  Jewish  Hos- 
pital is  expressive  of  the  high  ideals  which  actuated  its  founders 
in  their  noble  work.  It  was  instituted  and  has  ever  since 
been  governed  by  Jews,  and  is  managed  in  the  broadest 
spirit  of  humanity.  Originally  formed  for  the  care  of  the 
sick,  it  has,  year  by  year,  extended  its  sphere  of  useful- 
ness. New  problems  have  been  presented,  considered  and, 
under  the  leadership  of  men  of  most  sterUng  qualities,  have 
been  overcome.  To  properly  compile  its  history,  giving  due 
credit  to  those  who  have  so  conscientiously  labored  in  behalf 
of  humanity,  would  be  a  restatement  of  volumes  containing  pro- 
lific records  of  unselfish  charity,  discriminatingly  but  widely 
distributed.  The  interest  manifested  by  the  people  of  all  sec- 
tions of  this  city  and  State,  in  the  support  of  the  Association, 
demonstrates  their  appreciation  of  the  disinterested  labors  of 
the  management.  From  a  small  dwelling  in  West  Philadelphia, 
which  had  been  altered  into  a  hospital  for  the  sick  and  a  home 
for  the  aged  and  infirm,  it  has  grown  to  include  twenty-two  acres 
of  ground,  upon  which  are  located  twenty  beautiful  buildings, 
constructed,  equipped  and  maintained  with  all  that  modern 
ingenuity  and  science  has  produced  for  the  treatment  of  the 
sick,  and  the  physical,  moral  and  religious  care  of  the  aged  and 
destitute. 

During  the  first  year  of  its  existence  (1866)  there  were  treated 
in  the  Hospital  about  50  patients  and  in  the  Home  there  were 


4 

4  inmates.  For  the  fiscal  year  ending  April  30,  1908,  there 
were  treated  1,503  patients  in  the  General  Hospital,  75  patients 
in  the  Lucien  Moss  Home  for  Incurables,  103  patients  in  the 
Children's  Ward,  4,581  patients  in  the  Mathilde  Adler  Loeb 
Dispensary,  11  inmates  in  the  Infirmary  for  the  Aged,  211  pa- 
tients in  the  Guggenheim  Building  for  Private  Patients,  and  44 
inmates  in  the  Home  for  the  Aged,  furnishing  115,864  days' 
support;  20,299  patients  have  been  treated  in  the  General 
Hospital  since  its  opening  in  1865;  562  patients  in  the  Lucien 
Moss  Home  since  its  opening  in  1900;  709  in  the  Guggenheim 
Building  for  Private  Patients;  568  in  the  Henry  M.  Phillips 
and  Simon  Muhr  Children's  Wards;  40  in  the  Isolation  Build- 
ing; 277  inmates  in  the  Home  for  Aged  and  Infirm,  and  130,174 
patients  have  received  treatment  in  the  Mathilde  Adler  Loeb 
Dispensary  since  its  foundation  in  1878.  The  cost  of  supporting 
the  various  institutions  in  1865  was  less  than  $5,000;  during  the 
last  year  it  was  $151,887.31;  and  with  this  large  increase  in 
expenditure,  the  average  annual  expense  of  supporting  one  in- 
mate has  fallen  from  $895  in  1872  to  $650  in  1908.  The  Leg- 
acy and  Endowment  Fund,  on  May  i,  1908,  amounted  to  $444,- 
897.25,  much  of  which  has  been  consumed  in  the  construction 
of  buildings,  laying  out  roads,  etc.  There  was  but  one  med- 
ical assistant  in  1865.  At  present  there  is  a  Chief  Resident 
Physician,  with  six  assistants  and  67  consulting  surgeons  and 
physicians.  All  this  could  not  have  been  accomplished  with- 
out the  aid  of  thoughtful  and  Hberal  friends,  who,  by  their 
generous  bequests,  legacies  and  endowments,  have  assisted  the 
Association  financially,  whose  hearts  and  hands  were  always 
ready,  and  whose  responses  for  assistance  were  invariably  of 
the  most  generous  character. 

The  Jewish  Hospital  Association  of  Philadelphia  owes  its 
initial  existence  to  the  philanthropy  of  Mr.  Abraham  Sulzberger, 
who,  on  the  14th  day  of  August,  1864,  initiated  a  movement  in 
the  District  Grand  Lodge,  No.  3,  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
B'nai  B'rith,  which  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  provisional 
committee,  consisting  of  Max  Thalheimer,  Chairman,  Rev. 
Isaac  Leeser,  Vice-Chairman ;  Abraham  Sulzberger,  Secretary, 
and  Solomon  Hofheimer,  Raphael  Teller,  Lewis  Ellinger  and  Sam- 
uel Weil,  with  directions  to  "take  immediate  steps  to  secure  the 
co-operation  of  all  Jewish  societies  and  individuals  for  the  pur- 
pose of  founding  a  Jewish  Hospital"  within  the  limits  or  the 


immediate  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  This  committee,  on  the 
1 8th  day  of  August,  1864,  issued  circulars  to  the  various  persons 
who  were  deemed  to  be  interested;  they  visited  the  various 
Lodges  of  the  Order,  to  ascertain  how  many  subscribers  could 
be  obtained,  at  a  sum  not  exceeding  five  dollars  ($5.00)  per 
annum,  towards  the  support  of  a  Jewish  Hospital.  After  having 
secured  some  three  hundred  subscribers,  it  was  decided  to  popu- 
larize the  movement  by  inviting  the  co-operation  of  the  entire 
Jewish  community.  A  meeting  was  therefore  held  in  the  Hall 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  B'nai  B'rith,  on  the  4th  day  of 
December,  1864,  at  which  every  congregation  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  (with  but  one  exception)  was  represented,  and 
many  societies  sent  delegates,  representing  every  shade  of  opin- 
ion and  nationality  among  the  IsraeUtes  of  this  city.  It  was 
at  that  meeting  decided  that  a  Hospital,  conducted  according 
to  Jewish  custom,  was  necessary,  and  that  a  Society  for  the 
conduct  of  such  a  Hospital  should  be  organized.  This  con- 
vention, after  very  careful  and  patient  consideration  of  the 
subject,  adopted  a  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  and  thereupon 
called  a  pubHc  meeting  of  the  Israelites  of  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, which  was  held  at  National  Guards'  Hall,  Race  Street, 
below  Sixth,  on  Sunday,  February  19,  1865,  at  which  the 
Jewish  Hospital  Association  was  duly  organized  and  Alfred 
T.  Jones  elected  President;  Isadore  Binswanger,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; Samuel  Weil,  Treasurer;  Mayer  Sulzberger,  Secretary; 
Henry  J.  Hunt,  Corresponding  Secretary;  and  Messrs.  Abra- 
ham S.  Wolf,  Isaac  Leeser,  Joseph  Einstein,  Samuel  Hecht, 
Simon  Ezekiel,  M.  Thalheimer,  William  B.  Hackenburg,  Simon 
Alexander,  Dr.  Judah  Isaacs,  M.  M.  Bayersdorfer  and  Heze- 
kiah  W,  Arnold  elected  managers,  and  Alexander  Goodman, 
messenger.  A  membership  committee  was  appointed  and  650 
members  secured.  On  September  23,  1865,  the  Jewish  Hos- 
pital Association  of  Philadelphia  was  incorporated  by  the 
decree  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  County  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Immediately  after  its  organization,  subscriptions  were  opened 
for  the  purchase  of  a  suitable  property,  and  a  piece  of  ground 
of  about  one  and  one-fourth  acres,  located  at  the  junction  of 
Westminster  Avenue,  Haverford  Road  and  Fisher's  Avenue 
(Fifty-sixth  Street),  West  Philadelphia,  was  bought  for  the 
sum  of  eight  thousand  dollars  ($8,000). 


The  building  located  upon  this  lot,  and  first  occupied  by  the 
Jewish  Hospital,  is  thus  described  in  the  first  report  of  the  then 
President,  Mr.  Alfred  T.  Jones: 

"A  plain,  substantial  stone  dwelling,  partly  two  and 
partly  three  stories  in  height,  unpretending  in  appearance, 
yet  bearing  an  air  of  comfort  and  repose.  Along  the  entire 
front  runs  a  spacious  porch,  affording  shelter  alike  from  the 
sultry  beams  of  the  midday  sun  and  the  pelting  of  the  piti- 
less storm,  adorned  with  clinging  vines  and  gemmed  with 
budding  flowers,  while  beds  of  pleasant  green,  and  trees  of 
grateful  shade  fill  up  the  intervening  space.  Nature's  foli- 
age adds  beauty  to  the  scene,  and,  stirred  by  gentle  breezes, 
tempers  the  atmosphere  and  wafts  sweet  odors  round.  A 
short  distance  in  the  rear  loom  forth  the  portly  dimensions 
of  a  commodious  barn  and  stable,  while  a  well  of  pure 
water  and  all  the  requirements  of  a  country  home  abound.' ' 

At  the  first  annual  meeting,  held  January  7,  1866,  the  attention 
of  the  members  of  the  Association  was  directed  to  the  advisa- 
bility of  extending  the  usefulness  of  the  Society  by  adding  to  the 
Hospital  an  Asylum  for  the  Destitute,  Aged  and  Infirm;  and  in 
consequence  of  this,  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was 
approved  by  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Philadelphia  County, 
on  July  7,  1866,  and  the  Association  was  given  the  power  to 
establish  an  Asylum  for  the  support  and  employment  of  the  Aged, 
Infirm  and  Destitute,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  might 
thereafter  be  prescribed  in  the  By-Laws. 

On  April  10,  1866,  the  Association  took  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty, and  it  was  altered  to  make  it  suitable  for  hospital  purposes. 
Wells  were  dug,  the  cellar  was  remodeled,  both  interior  and 
exterior  improvements  were  made,  involving  an  expenditure  of 
$5,200.  This  work  was  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  first 
Building  Committee,  which  consisted  of  Messrs.  A.  S.  Wolf, 
Chairman,  William  B.  Hackenburg,  Judah  Isaacs,  Henry  Mayer 
and  S.  Hecht.  $2,350  was  expended  under  the  directions  of  the 
committee  in  the  furnishing  of  the  Hospital.  Mrs.  Mary  D. 
Brown,  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  was  the  first  "stranger  to  our 
faith"  who,  by  her  liberal  gift  of  five  hundred  dollars  ($500), 
assisted  in  the  work  of  the  Association. 

On  June  28,  1866,  two  lots  of  ground  adjoining  the  property  on 
either  side  were  purchased  at  an  expense  of  $3,750,  of  which  $750 


was  paid  at  the  time  of  the  purchase,  and  the  balance  liquidated 
in  four  yearly  instalments  of  $750  each.  By  this  purchase  the 
Association  became  the  owner  of  three  and  one-fifth  acres  of 
ground. 

On  August  6,  1866,  the  Hospital  was  opened  for  the  reception 
of  patients,  and  on  September  17,  1866,  the  first  applicant  was 
admitted  as  an  inmate  of  the  "Asylum  for  the  Aged,  Infirm  and 
Destitute. "  The  dedication  services  were  not  held  until  May  28, 
1867.  In  the  first  five  months  there  were  treated  28  patients,  of 
which  three  were  non-Israelites,  and  all  patients,  with  two  excep- 
tions, were  treated  gratuitously.  There  had  been  four  admissions 
to  the  Asylum  for  the  Aged.  The  first  death  which  occurred  in  the 
Hospital  was  that  of  Isaac  Hirsch,  of  Ichenhausen,  Bavaria.  It 
occurred  on  October  6,  1866,  and  resulted  from  the  unskillful  act 
of  a  dentist  in  extracting  a  tooth.  The  mortgage  upon  the  prop- 
erty was  satisfied  in  October,  1869,  through  the  efforts  of  the 
Widows'  Relief  Association  of  the  B'nai  B'rith. 

During  the  fiscal  year  which  ended  January  9,  1870,  it  was 
found  that  the  wards  of  the  Hospital  were  too  small  to  accommo- 
date all  applicants,  and  that  it  had  become  necessary  to  limit  the 
number  of  admissions  to  the  Home  for  the  Aged  and  Infirm. 
On  November  4,  1869,  a  committee  of  the  Board  of  Officers,  con- 
sisting of  Messrs.  Lucien  Moss,  Mayer  Sulzberger  and  William 
B.  Hackenburg,  having  investigated,  reported  that  they  found 
the  accommodations  inadequate,  the  location  unadapted,  and 
recommended  a  sale  of  the  property  and  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  on  new  buildings,  with  instructions  to  ascertain  a  suit- 
able place  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  purposes  of  the 
Association.  The  labors  of  this  committee  were  hastened  by 
notices  received  on  July  8,  1871,  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
municipal  authorities  to  open  Haverford  Road  through  the  Hos- 
pital property,  from  Somerset  Street  to  Sixty-eighth  Street, 
which  would  necessitate  the  removal  of  the  western  wing,  at  that 
time  occupied  by  the  steward's  family  and  the  physician. 

At  the  meeting  on  January  8,  1871,  the  Association  approved 
the  resolution  offered  by  the  Building  Committee  authorizing  the 
purchase  of  a  suitable  site,  the  erection  of  all  buildings  necessary 
for  a  Hospital  and  Asylum,  and  the  Board  was  empowered  to 
devise  ways  and  means  to  procure  the  necessary  funds. 

On  February  2,  1871,  the  Board  of  Officers  created  a  building 
fund;  in  March,  1871,  the  Committee  on  Site  was  increased  to 


8 

five;  at  the  May  meeting  a  plan  was  adopted,  and  on  July  6,  1871, 
the  present  Hospital  site  was  agreed  upon  as  the  most  suit- 
able, and  the  following  August  it  was  purchased. 

On  May  i,  1871,  the  President,  Mr.  Abraham  S.  Wolf,  issued 
a  circular  requesting  contributions  toward  a  fund  of  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  ($50,000),  and  a  Committee  on  Subscriptions  to  the 
Building  Fund,  consisting  of  seventy  members,  was  appointed. 
That  this  committee  performed  its  work  diligently  is  shown  by 
its  report,  made  at  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14,  1872, 
which  shows  that  it  had  agreed  upon  purchasing  the  site  on  Olney 
Road  near  Old  York  Road,  Twenty-second  Ward,  consisting  of 
fourteen  and  one-half  acres,  of  which  about  ten  acres  was  on  the 
south  side  of  Olney  Road  and  the  remainder  on  the  north  side, 
the  western  boundary  of  which  was  the  line  of  Thirteenth  Street 
and  the  eastern  boundary  the  line  of  Tenth  Street,  having  a 
width  on  Olney  Road  of  about  1,200  feet,  and  a  depth  of  about 
500  feet.  The  buildings  consisted  of  a  spring-house,  barn, 
farmer's  house  and  mansion.  They  stood  back  from  the  Olney 
Road  about  150  feet,  covered  about  196  feet  front  and  45  feet 
deep.  The  price  of  the  property  was  $18,500,  of  which  $9,500 
was  paid  on  account.  The  corner-stone  of  the  new  Jewish 
Hospital  was  laid  Wednesday,  October  9,  1872,  at  3  o'clock 
P.M.,  by  the  officers  of  the  Right  Worshipful  Grand  Lodge  of 
Masons  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  presence  of  the  members  and 
contributors  to  the  Hospital,  Lodges  of  the  various  Jewish 
Orders,  Mayor,  Presidents  of  Select  and  Common  Councils  of 
the  city,  Judges  of  the  different  Courts  and  many  prominent 
citizens. 

The  Hospital  building  was  constructed  of  double  walls,  with 
a  space  of  several  inches  between  them,  the  outside  walls  being 
of  rubble  stone  work  and  the  inside  of  brick.  This  plan  was 
adopted  to  prevent  dampness.  It  is  a  structure  of  somewhat 
irregular  plan,  about  80  feet  in  front  and  45  feet  deep,  having 
as  its  west  wing  the  old  house,  about  42  feet  in  front  and  depth, 
and  the  east  wing  74  feet  front  by  28  feet  deep.  The  center 
building  is  three  stories  high,  having  a  basement  of  10  feet,  and 
the  three  stories  being  respectively  13,  12  and  10  feet  in  the 
clear.  The  wings  were  two  stories  high,  the  eastern  wing  having, 
in  addition,  a  basement  10  feet  entirely  out  of  the  ground.  The 
center  building  was  divided  into  two  parts;  the  westernmost 
part,  in  conjunction  with  the  old  building,  was  used  as  a  Home 


for  the  Aged  and  Infirm,  and  the  easternmost  part  was  used  for 
the  Hospital. 

The  first  and  second  floors  of  the  east  wing  were  the  male 
and  female  wards  respectively.  The  first  floor  of  the  building 
was  approached  by  a  double  flight  of  steps  leading  through  a  ves- 
tibule, in  which  a  lift  ran  from  the  basement  to  the  third  story.  In 
the  back  of  this  hall  is  the  main  stairway,  4  feet  wide,  extending 
the  entire  height  of  the  building.  To  the  west  of  the  main  hall 
was  the  Home,  which  was  divided  by  a  corridor.  On  the  north 
side  of  the  corridor  was  a  chapel,  21  feet  by  36  feet  9  inches,  and 
on  the  south  side  was  the  Directors'  room,  14  by  16  feet, 
and  a  reception-room,  1 1  feet  by  14  feet.  The  corridor  connected 
with  the  old  building,  in  v/hich  was  a  lady  managers'  room, 
the  female  sitting-room,  the  reception-room  and  the  library. 
To  the  left  of  the  main  hall  on  the  south  side  of  the  corridor  were 
the  apothecary's  room  and  the  nurses'  room,  and  on  the  north 
side  of  the  corridor  the  nurses'  diet  kitchen,  lavatory  and  bath- 
room. The  ward  was  72  feet  by  24  feet,  and  contained  beds  for 
sixteen  patients.  The  second  floor  was  arranged  on  the  same 
general  plan.  The  front  room  over  the  main  hall  was  the  oper- 
ating room.  In  the  Home  there  were  three  bedrooms  over  the 
chapel,  two  bedrooms  and  a  bathroom  for  the  use  of  the  Home 
over  the  Directors'  and  reception-rooms.  The  second  floor  of 
the  old  building  contained  dressing-room,  bedroom,  bath  and 
lavatory.  The  third  floor  had  ten  bedrooms,  bath  and  lavatory, 
linen  closets  and  large  room  over  the  operating  room.  A  large 
tank  in  the  high  roof  on  the  center  building  supplied  the  build- 
ing with  water.  In  the  basement  the  room  under  the  chapel 
was  used  as  a  dining-room,  and  the  other  rooms  were  used  for 
smoking-rooms,  china-closet,  etc.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
Hospital  corridor  was  contained  the  kitchen,  which  was  fitted 
up  with  range,  sinks,  etc.  On  the  north  side  was  the  laundry. 
The  basement  of  the  wing,  which  was  entirely  out  of  the  ground, 
was  divided  into  storerooms  and  servants'  bedrooms.  The 
buildings  were  heated  by  steam,  both  direct  and  indirect  radia- 
tion being  at  that  time  employed.  Messrs.  Furness  &  Hewitt 
were  the  architects  and  superintendents. 

In  1872  a  special  Act  of  the  Legislature  was  passed  exempting 
the  Hospital  property  from  taxation,  and  in  that  year  the  Hos- 
pital was  awarded  $1,300  for  damages  resulting  from  the  widen- 
ing of  Haverford  Road  through  the  Hospital's  property  in  West 
Philadelphia. 


lO 

It  required  energy  and  perseverance  to  secure  the  money 
necessary  to  pay  for  the  completion  of  the  new  buildings.  On 
January  14,  1872,  the  subscriptions  to  the  Building  Fund  were 
less  than  thirty  thousand  dollars  ($30,000).  On  November  19th 
of  that  year,  they  had  only  increased  to  the  sum  of  $36,600,  and 
it  then  became  a  matter  of  very  serious  consideration  as  to 
whether  sufficient  could  be  secured  to  construct  the  building 
without  soliciting  aid  from  Israelites  in  other  cities.  On  the 
evening  of  that  date,  however,  a  meeting  was  held,  and  it  was 
concluded  to  place  the  matter  of  subscriptions  in  the  hands  of 
a  committee  of  six,  who  labored  diligently  in  this  behalf,  and  on 
the  1 2th  day  of  January,  1873,  had  increased  the  subscriptions 
to  $48,322. 

The  entire  cost  of  the  new  building,  including  the  farmer's 
house,  dead-house  and  summer  shed,  was  $88,379.88,  all  of  which 
was  raised  by  the  subscriptions  of  the  Israelites  of  Philadelphia, 
except  the  sum  of  $10,000,  which  was  raised  upon  mortgage  on 
the  West  Philadelphia  property. 

Part  of  the  funds — to  wit,  about  $11,000 — necessary  for  the 
erection  of  the  building  was  secured  through  the  efforts  of 
Lazarus  Morgenthau,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  who  presented  to 
the  Association  an  elegantly  bound  "Golden  Book  of  Life,"  and 
generously  volunteered  his  services  in  taking  charge  of  it  on  the 
day  of  dedication. 

On  September  14,  1873,  the  new  Hospital  and  Home  for  the 
Aged  and  Infirm  was  dedicated  and  the  Synagogue  consecrated, 
and  on  the  i8th  of  the  same  month  the  patients  and  inmates  of 
the  Home  were  removed  to  the  Hospital  and  Home,  amid  con- 
gratulations and  much  happiness. 

Until  the  annual  meeting  of  January  11,  1874,  the  contrib- 
utors assisting  in  the  support  of  the  Hospital  were  all  known 
as  "Members."  The  removal  to  the  new  location,  the  increased 
labors  and  the  widened  field  of  effort,  naturally  resulted  'in  in- 
creased expenses,  and  for  the  purpose  of  providing  for  the  pay- 
ment of  these  outlays,  at  that  meeting  members  who  were  willing 
to  contribute  $25  were  formed  into  a  class  and  designated  as 
"  Patrons."  The  Constitution  was  also  amended  by  the  addition 
of  a  section  providing  for  the  election  of  an  Executive  Committee, 
which  should  be  composed  of  the  President,  Treasurer  and  five 
members  of  the  Board,  and  likewise  for  a  committee  of  ladies, 
a  medical  staff  and  standing  committees,  known  as  the  Com- 
mittee on  Home  and  the  Committee  on  Admissions. 


II 

The  necessity  for  providing  for  a  dispensary  service  soon 
became  evident,  and  in  the  President's  report  to  the  annual 
meeting  held  January  ii,  1875,  an  amendment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion was  suggested  (and  subsequently  adopted)  by  which  the 
Association  would  have  the  power  to  establish  and  maintain  a 
dispensary. 

The  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  was  applied  to 
for  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  Dispensary  Building,  and  an  appro- 
priation of  $25,000  passed  the  House  of  Representatives,  but 
failed  in  the  Senate,  notwithstanding  that  in  the  same  year  the 
agent  of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Charities  had  reported  that 
"a  better  arranged  hospital,  a  more  comfortable  asylum,  I  have 
not  yet  seen.  It  compares  favorably  with  the  best  in  the  land. 
I  recommend  it  as  a  model  for  institutions  of  similar  magnitude 
and  for  similar  purposes  for  adoption  in  cities  and  in  the  country." 
In  1876,  an  appropriation  of  $25,000  for  a  similar  purpose  passed 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate,  but  was  vetoed 
by  the  Governor. 

It  has  always  been  the  good  fortune  of  the  Jewish  Hospital 
Association,  in  time  of  great  need,  to  find  someone  to  extend  a 
helping  hand,  and,  after  failing  to  secure  State  aid,  it  was  only 
natural  that  it  should  receive  assistance  from  an  independent 
source.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Adler  and  Mr.  August  B.  Loeb, 
public-spirited  and  philanthropic  citizens,  knowing  the  dis- 
tress then  prevalent  and  the  utter  lack  of  proper  medical  treat- 
ment for  poor  out-patients,  and  desiring  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adler's  daughter  and  Mr.Loeb's  wife,  the  late  Mrs. 
Mathilde  Adler  Loeb,  proposed  to  the  thirteenth  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Association  to  erect  on  the  Hospital  grounds,  at  the 
northeast  of  the  main  building,  an  edifice  suitable  for  a  dispen- 
sary, it  being  stipulated  that  the  benefits  of  the  charity  were  to 
be  without  distinction  of  creed,  color,  sex  or  nationality.  The 
offer,  together  with  the  proposed  plans  and  specifications,  was 
submitted  to  the  Board  of  Officers,  which  approved  and  accepted 
them. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Mathilde  Adler  Loeb  Dispensary 
was  laid  in  April,  and  the  building  was  completed  and  dedicated 
August  26,  1878.  It  is  a  full  one-and-one-half-story  building, 
with  French  roof  and  stone  dormers,  English  Gothic  cottage. 
The  walls  are  faced  in  small  pointed  stone  of  a  lively  bluish  color, 
and  relieved  with  belt  courses  and  arches  over  the  windows,  of 


12 


red,  buff  and  black  brick.  The  French  roof  is  covered  with  black 
Pennsylvania  and  green  Vermont  slate.  The  interior  contains 
a  cellar  under  the  whole  building.  The  first  story  contains  a 
waiting-room  for  patients,  i8  by  15  feet;  physician's  room,  12 
by  13  feet,  apothecary's  room,  12  by  15  feet.  The  second  story 
contains  three  chambers  and  a  bathroom.  The  waiting-room 
is  wainscoted;  three  sides  are  provided  with  stationary  seats 
for  patients,  while  the  fourth  shows  an  ornamental  walnut  frame 
containing  three  divisions,  the  middle  one  with  a  life-size  por- 
trait of  Mrs.  August  B.  Loeb,  in  whose  memory  the  building  was 
erected.  The  expense  of  maintaining  the  Mathilde  Adler  Loeb 
Dispensary  was,  for  several  years,  provided  for  by  Mr.  August  B. 
Loeb  personally.  He  Hkewise,  in  1883,  endowed  it  in  the  sum 
of  $2,500,  and  this  he  subsequently  increased  to  $10,000.  Mrs. 
Hannah  Adler  also  bequeathed  to  the  Association  $2,000,  the 
interest  to  be  used  for  its  support.  It  has  been  continuously 
open  to  the  poor.  Since  May  27,1900,  a  small  charge  is  made  in 
discretionary  cases.  In  1907  a  clinic  for  tuberculosis  patients 
was  established  in  the  Mathilde  Adler  Loeb  Dispensary  and  has 
proven  of  great  usefulness. 

Abraham  S.  Wolf,  the  second  President  of  the  Association, 
died  in  August,  1880.  By  his  will  he  provided,  on  the  termina- 
tion of  certain  life  estates  and  sundry  contingent  remainders, 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Home,  to  be  incorporated,  named  and 
styled  "The  Abraham  S.  Wolf  Home  for  Aged  and  Infirm  Poor 
Israelites."  A  special  meeting  of  the  Association  was  held  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  this  bequest;  but  on  account  of  the 
peculiar  wording  of  the  will,  it  was  found  that  a  corporation  was 
to  be  erected  to  take  charge  of  the  Home,  and  that  the  trustees 
were  to  be  created  out  of  the  members  of  three  Jewish  Congrega- 
tions. This  corporation  was  to  build  a  home  on  the  grounds  of 
the  Jewish  Hospital  Association,  and  might  control  the  Home 
without  consultation  with  the  Association.  It  was  felt  that  the 
moneys  already  donated  to  the  Association,  which,  with  the 
property  owned,  was  worth  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  ($100,000),  were  given  to  and  held  by  the  Association 
in  trust  for  the  aged  and  the  sick,  and  that  to  abandon  this  trust 
would  be  attended  with  the  gravest  legal  and  moral  difficulties. 
After  negotiations,  it  was  found  impossible  to  complete  satis- 
factory arrangements  with  the  executors  and  trustees,  and  at  a 
special  meeting  of  the  Association,  held  May  29,  1881,  a  reso- 


13 

lution  was  adopted  reciting  the  impracticability  of  accepting 
the  bequest,  so  far  as  it  related  to  the  erection  of  the  Home 
upon  the  Hospital  property. 

In  the  year  1883,  Mrs.  Gabriel  S.  Mayer  endowed  the  first 
bed  in  perpetuity.  It  is  known  as  the  "Carl  Theodore  Mayer 
Bed."  Miss  Julia  B.  Eckstein  paid  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000) 
for  the  life  privilege  of  a  bed,  and  during  this  year  the 
Board  of  Officers  first  designated  Decoration  Day,  May  30th, 
as  "Donation  Day." 

By  reason  of  certain  investigations  made  by  a  special  com- 
mittee, the  Board  of  Officers  recommended  to  the  Association  the 
erection  of  certain  additions  and  alterations  to  the  building,  for 
the  purpose  of  providing  bathrooms,  laundry,  kitchen,  engine- 
rooms,  coal  vault  and  stable,  the  expense  of  which  was  estimated 
to  be  about  $15,000,  and  at  the  nineteenth  annual  meeting,  held 
January  13,  1884,  the  matter  of  raising  the  funds  necessary  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  these  improvements  was  referred  to  the 
Board  of  Officers  with  full  power.  It  was  found,  upon  further 
investigation,  that  the  cost  of  making  these  improvements  would 
require  an  outlay  of  $32,000,  and  it  was  therefore  decided  to 
make  temporary  repairs,  which  necessitated  the  expenditure 
of  about  $3,000.  In  the  following  year  the  stable,  carriage  sheds 
and  other  out-buildings  were  finished  at  an  expense  of  $6,474.08. 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  January  i,  1886,  the  encum- 
brances upon  the  West  Philadelphia  property  were  paid  off  and 
the  Association  thus  held  this  property  clear  of  encumbrance. 

In  the  President's  report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  December 
31,  1885,  the  attention  of  the  Association  was  called  to  the  ne- 
cessity for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building  for  the  proper  care 
of  the  Inmates  of  the  Home,  and  suggesting  that  the  wing  then 
used  for  the  aged  might  be  occupied  as  a  ward  for  incurables. 
At  the  twenty-second  annual  meeting,  held  January  9,  1887, 
resolutions  were  adopted,  referring  to  the  Board  of  Officers  the 
matter  of  providing  proper  accommodations  for  the  Aged  and 
Infirm  and  the  care  of  Incurables,  with  instructions  to  prepare  a 
plan  for  that  purpose,  and  with  that  end  in  view,  to  confer  with 
the  various  Jewish  Orders  that  might  desire  to  assist  in  accom- 
plishing this  object. 

A  committee  of  seven,  on  December  2,  1887,  reported  to  the 
Board  of  Officers  that  the  incurable  and  contagious  diseases 
should  be  treated  outside  of  the  regular  wards,  that  a  suitable 


14 

Home  for  the  Aged  as  well  as  kitchens,  boiler-house  and  laundry, 
should  be  erected  separate  and  apart  from  the  Hospital;  that 
the  whole  system  of  buildings  should  have  a  frontage  on  Thir- 
teenth Street  as  then  laid  out,  and  that  the  Home  building 
should  be  first  erected.  This  was  approved  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Officers,  held  December  4,  1887,  and  at  the  twenty- 
third  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  held  January  8,  1888, 
the  Board  of  Officers  was  directed  to  open  subscriptions  payable 
in  four  equal  instalments,  and  was  authorized  to  make  necessary 
arrangements  for  carrying  out  these  plans.  In  order  to  provide 
funds,  the  right  was  also  given  to  any  person,  upon  payment  of 
$5,000,  to  name  a  room  in  either  the  Hospital  or  Home  for  the 
Aged,  and  amendments  were  adopted  extending  to  the  Home 
for  the  Aged  the  same  privileges  as  were  then  in  existence  relative 
to  the  Hospital  for  the  endowment  of  perpetual  and  life  privilege 
beds. 

In  January,  1888,  the  Board  of  Officers  made  its  appeal  for 
subscriptions,  having  first  appointed  a  Committee  on  Building 
Fund,  composed  of  one  hundred  members. 

Within  six  months  the  subscriptions  amounted  to  $85,613.75, 
which  was  then  supposed  to  be  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  new 
Home  building,  laundry,  kitchen,  boiler-houses  and  alterations 
to  the  roads  and  grounds.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  October 
9,  1888,  being  the  sixteenth  anniversary  of  the  laying  of  the 
corner-stone  of  the  Hospital  building,  and  the  Home  was  dedi- 
cated Thursday  (Thanksgiving  Day),  November  28,  1889. 

The  exterior  of  the  building  is  in  the  Moorish  style  of  archi- 
tecture. The  facades  are  of  stone,  terra-cotta  and  variegated 
brickwork.  The  cornices  are  heavy  copper  mouldings  and  the 
roof  is  covered  with  slate.  There  is  an  air-space  of  four  inches 
between  the  inner  and  outer  walls.  The  site  of  the  building  is 
at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  Street  and  Clarkson  Avenue.  The 
building  is  L-shape,  leaving  a  triangular  plot  between  the 
building  and  Thirteenth  Street.  The  principal  entrance  is  to- 
wards the  Hospital  on  the  Thirteenth  Street  side.  Halls,  12  feet 
wide,  extend  the  length  of  the  building.  On  the  ground  floor 
to  the  right-hand  side  is  the  Directors'  room  and  the  Ladies' 
Committee  room.  On  the  left-hand  side  is  the  Matron's  room 
and  general  reception  room  (now  used  by  the  Superintendent 
for  offices).  Seven  rooms  for  inmates  open  on  the  corridor,  and 
on  the  left-hand  side  is  the  main  dining-room,  40  by  23  feet, 


15 

next  to  which  is  the  pantry,  having  a  large  lift  which  descends  to 
the  basement  and  communicates  with  a  covered  way  leading  to 
the  kitchen.  Adjoining  the  dining-room  is  the  diet  kitchen, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  corridor  is  the  sitting-room,  27  feet 
by  16  feet.  At  this  point  there  is  a  second  corridor,  running  at 
right-angles  with  the  one  described,  at  either  end  of  which  are 
iron  staircases  which  extend  to  the  third  floor  of  the  building. 
On  the  second  and  third  floors  are  sleeping,  bath  and  toilet- 
rooms,  parlors  and  linen-rooms.  In  the  basement  are  the  cellars, 
servants'  bedrooms  and  dining-rooms,  pantry,  store  and  smok- 
ing-rooms. The  kitchen,  laundry  and  boiler-house  were  placed 
midway  beween  the  Hospital  building  and  the  Home,  commun- 
icating with  both  by  covered  passages  having  slate  roofs  and 
closed  sides.  The  kitchen  is  42  feet  by  21  feet,  with  a  double 
set  of  ranges,  sinks  and  all  kitchen  appliances;  two  large  store- 
rooms for  stores,  refrigerators,  etc.  In  the  center  of  the  build- 
ing is  a  large  smoke-stack  for  the  use  of  the  ranges,  boilers  and 
the  laundry.  The  laundry  was  entirely  disconnected  from  the 
rest  of  the  building  by  brick  walls,  having  an  entrance  from  the 
outside  only.     The  entire  building  was  heated  by  steam. 

The  total  receipts  for  the  Building  Fund  to  January  i,  1890, 
were  $90,462.70.  The  total  cost  of  the  new  building,  including 
the  roads,  furniture,  insurance,  portraits,  advertising  and  sundry 
expenses  connected  with  laying  the  corner-stone  and  dedication, 
was  $105,610.58. 

The  part  of  the  Hospital  building  which  had  been  used  as  a 
Home  for  the  Aged  was,  about  the  first  of  September,  1890,  occu- 
pied as  a  ward  for  incurables.  It  was  opened  with  the  use  of 
three  beds  in  the  male  and  three  beds  in  the  female  department. 

In  March,  1892,  the  property  adjoining  the  Hospital  to  the 
west  and  extending  to  York  Road,  containing  about  four  acres, 
was  purchased  for  the  sum  of  $20,000,  of  which  $5,000  remained 
on  mortgage  and  $15,000  was  raised  by  loan  from  the  Chestnut 
Street  National  Bank.  This  was  repaid  out  of  a  mortgage  of 
$25,000,  which  was  subsequently  created. 

The  proper  treatment  of  the  sick  has  been  a  matter  of  study 
for  generations.  Science  has  done  much  toward  the  cure  of 
disease,  and  the  medical  fraternity,  by  a  system  of  education,  is 
eradicating  conditions  productive  of  illness.  Nothing,  however, 
is  to-day  considered  of  greater  importance  in  the  care  of  the  sick 
than  thoughtful,  attentive  and  efficient  nursing. 


i6 

During  the  first  eleven  years  of  the  Hospital's  existence,  not 
more  than  one  male  and  one  female  nurse  were  employed  at  the 
same  time.  In  addition  to  ministering  to  the  actual  needs  of 
the  sick,  bathing,  taking  temperature,  pouring  of  medicine,  the 
application  of  poultices  and  surgical  dressings,  the  male  nurse 
attended  the  inmates  of  the  Home  for  the  Aged  at  meal-time 
in  a  serving  capacity,  watched  over  the  patients  at  their  meals, 
sorted  the  linen,  was  held  responsible  for  the  actual  cleaning  of 
the  wards,  was  subject  to  call  at  all  hours,  and  received  as  com- 
pensation $16.00  per  month  and  leave  of  absence  of  one-half 
a  day  each  month.     The  female  attendant  fared  similarly. 

On  January  i,  1892,  the  Nurses'  Training  School  was  estab- 
lished, and  on  November  30,  1901,  the  Nurses'  Training  School 
Committee  was  created,  and  requisite  rules  for  its  government 
and  the  government  of  the  nurses  were  adopted.  It  was  intended 
thereby  to  establish  a  power  to  which  the  chief  nurse  or  a  scholar 
could  appeal  in  the  event  of  necessity,  and  also  a  committee 
which  would  have  control  of  the  school  and  its  discipline.  The 
term  of  instruction,  which  originally  was  two  years,  was  changed 
to  three  years.  Nurses  were  classified  as  Seniors,  Juniors  and 
Probationers,  Probationers  being  the  term  applied  to  students 
for  the  first  two  months;  the  Junior  period  covers  the  balance  of 
the  year,  and  the  last  two  years  constitute  the  Senior  period. 
Lectures  are  delivered  by  the  staff  of  physicians  and  others  not 
directly  connected  with  the  Hospital,  upon  all  branches  of 
medical,  surgical,  gynecological  and  obstetrical  nursing,  mas- 
sage and  dietetics.    Examinations  are  held  and  diplomas  awarded. 

On  May  30,  1908,  the  Training  School  consisted  of  one  chief 
nurse,  four  head  nurses  and  49  pupil  nurses,  and  since  its  forma- 
tion, beginning  with  the  Class  of  1 894,  there  have  been  graduated 
102  nurses.  A  Nurses'  Alumni  Association  was  organized  in 
1903,  its  present  membership  being  52. 

The  advance  in  sanitation  of  buildings  and  the  adoption  of 
preventative  measures  to  combat  disease  resulted  in  the  con- 
struction, in  1897,  of  a  building  known  as  the  "Sanitary  Tower." 
It  is  connected  with  the  central  portion  of  the  main  building  on 
the  south  side,  and  corresponds  with  the  architecture  of  the 
building  as  it  then  existed.  It  contains  all  the  known  modern 
improvements  in  sanitary  and  scientific  plumbing,  drainage  and 
ventilation.  There  are  a  plunge,  steam,  vapor,  needle,  hot  and 
cold  shower-baths,  the  necessary  toilet-rooms,  nurses'  laundry, 


17 

and  the  ground  floor  was  used  for  servants'  quarters.     The  ex- 
pense connected  with  this  was  $13,886.03. 

The  West  Philadelphia  property  had  not  been  a  source  of 
much  income;  it  had  for  some  time  been  rented  for  school  pur- 
poses at  $750  per  annum ;  but  at  several  meetings  of  the  Associa- 
tion resolutions  had  been  adopted  looking  to  its  sale  either  as  an 
entirety  or  in  lots.  It  was  finally  sold  on  April  25,  1898,  for 
$30,000,  the  receipt  of  which  enabled  the  Association  to  satisfy 
the  mortgages  upon  its  new  property. 

The  Incurable  Ward  was  always  a  source  of  much  grave  con- 
sideration. Located  in  the  old  part  of  the  Hospital,  in  close 
connection  with  the  convalescing,  among  conditions  which  did 
not  tend  to  best  results,  it  stood  as  a  mute  appeal  for  further 
benefactions.  Mr.  Lucien  Moss,  a  Director  until  his  death, 
April  19,  1895,  saw  the  necessity  of  providing  in  a  separate 
building  for  the  chronic  invalids,  where  the  care,  attention  and 
treatment  would  be  better  adapted  to  their  ailments.  He, 
therefore,  by  his  last  will,  directed  that  upon  the  death  of  his 
widow  (which  occurred  November  25,  1907),  his  entire  residuary 
estate  should  pass  to  the  Association  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
Home  for  Incurables,  and  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of 
its  inmates.  The  net  principal  received  by  the  Association  from 
this  source  was  $184,069.27,  and  ten  shares  of  the  stock  of  the 
Mount  Sinai  Cemetery  Association.  Its  erection  was  com- 
menced in  the  middle  of  June,  1899,  the  corner-stone  laid  Sep- 
tember 21,  1899,  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  and  the  building 
was  dedicated  June  10,  1900. 

The  Lucien  Moss  Home  is  connected  with  the  buildings  of 
the  Hospital  by  means  of  covered  ways.  It  is  46  feet  by  136 
feet,  is  constructed  of  stone,  brick  and  terra-cotta,  with  a  roof 
of  slate,  and  is  of  fire-proof  construction.  The  stairway  is  con- 
structed of  iron  and  is  built  around  the  hatchway  of  a  lift,  which 
is  ample  to  carry  a  patient  on  a  cot  from  one  floor  to  another. 
Adjacent  to  the  main  stairway  is  the  Memorial  Room,  which 
contains  family  portraits,  paintings,  bronzes  and  other  relics, 
gifts  bequeathed  by  his  will. 

A  main  hall  divides  the  entire  building  into  two  parts.  Doc- 
tor's office,  living-room.  Matron's  room,  two  double  and  four 
single  bedrooms  are  on  the  first  floor.  A  sun-parlor,  facing  the 
south,  east  and  north,  is  on  each  floor.  Bathroom,  needle, 
vapor,  shower  and  other  modern  baths,  lavatories  and  nurses' 


I8 

laundry  are  on  each  floor.  Dining,  serving-rooms  and  diet 
kitchens  are  on  the  west  end  of  the  first  floor.  The  second  and 
third  floors  also  each  contain  two  double  and  four  single  bed- 
rooms, bath  and  other  necessary  accommodations,  such  as 
apothecary's,  operating,  dark  and  nurses'  rooms.  An  exterior 
fire-escape  has  also  been  provided.  The  basement  contains  four 
double  bedrooms,  originally  used  for  servants,  disinfecting  room, 
bath,  lockers,  and  examination  room.  The  building  is  also  pro- 
vided with  the  latest  improvements  in  ventilating  and  heating 
system,  all  the  foul  air  being  drawn  from  the  building,  passing 
over  the  fire  in  the  boilers  before  it  reaches  the  outer  air.  All 
modern  improvements  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the 
patients  have  been  provided.  Its  usefulness  has  been  extended 
from  time  to  time,  especially  in  the  care  and  treatment  of  those 
afflicted  with  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs.  In  July,  1903,  large  tents 
were  erected  on  the  lawn  south  of  the  Lucien  Moss  Home  for 
the  treatment  of  this  class  of  patients. 

The  erection  of  the  Lucien  Moss  Home  and  other  buildings 
necessitated  the  enlargement,  in  1899,  of  the  coal  vaults,  the 
building  of  additional  greenhouses  (one  of  which  was  erected 
by  Mr.  Henry  Fernberger)  and  the  construction  of  a  new  laundry 
building,  at  an  expense  to  the  Improvement  Account  of  $5,252.07. 
The  latter  has  from  time  to  time  been  enlarged  to  care  for  the 
increasing  work  and  to  provide  sleeping  accommodations  for  the 
servants. 

Mrs.  Rose  Frank  has  for  eighteen  years  been  one  of  the 
most  active  workers  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  institutions  under 
the  Association's  control,  and  since  her  removal  a  few  years  ago 
to  New  York  City,  her  interest  in  the  institution  has  not 
abated,  though  she  is  necessarily  unable  to  give  the  kind  of 
service  she  rendered  while  living  here.  Not  only  has  she  given 
unsparingly  of  her  time  and  energy,  but  she  has  assisted  in 
many  other  ways.  On  June  4,  1900,  Mrs.  Frank,  then  Chair- 
man of  the  Ladies'  Visiting  Committee,  expressed  to  the  Board 
of  Ofiicers  her  desire  to  erect  a  Synagogue  on  the  grounds  of 
the  Association,  in  memory  of  her  deceased  husband,  Henry 
S.  Frank,  and  to  be  used  by  the  inmates  of  the  Home  and  the 
patients  in  the  Hospital.  She  provided  that  it  should  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  God  in  the  manner  of  the  Jewish  faith, 
but  might  be  used  for  such  meetings  of  the  Association  as 
the  Board  of  Officers  deemed  proper. 


19 

The  corner-stone  was  laid  January  27,  1901,  the  building  was 
completed  and  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  Thursday, 
September  12,  1901,  and  opened  for  divine  services  on  the  Sat- 
urday following,  being  the  first  day  of  Rosh  Hashonah.  It  is 
located  on  the  site  of  the  old  house,  directly  in  front  of  the  Hos- 
pital and  Home  buildings,  and  facing  York  Road.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  completely  furnished  houses  of  Jewish 
worship  in  this  country,  designed  after  the  architecture  em- 
ployed in  the  Synagogues  of  Palestine  in  the  first  and  second 
centuries,  and  the  inscription  over  the  outer  entrance  is  literally 
copied  from  one  of  these.  It  is  built  of  Indiana  limestone,  the 
woodwork  being  of  oak. 

The  entrance  vestibule  is  flanked  by  two  tall  columns  sup- 
porting the  cornice.  The  frieze  is  carved  in  Hebrew  characters. 
The  vestibule  is  floored  with  mosaic.  The  auditorium  is  33  feet 
wide,  28  feet  high  and  37  feet  long,  lighted  by  eight  large  win- 
dows, two  being  memorial  windows  in  memory  of  the  parents 
of  the  donor  and  her  husband.  The  seats  are  of  quartered  oak, 
arranged  along  the  north  and  south  walls.  In  the  center  is  the 
reading  platform.  At  the  east  end  is  the  shrine,  containing  the 
Scrolls  of  the  Law.  The  woodwork  is  painted  white  and  the 
interior  hangings  and  curtains  are  of  rich  crimson  satin  damask. 
Appropriate  inscriptions,  candlesticks,  gas  fixtures,  tablets  and 
perpetual  lamp  are  also  therein  contained. 

In  December,  1900,  a  small  lot  of  ground  lying  between  Tenth 
and  Twelfth  Streets  (about  three  acres),  bounded  on  the  south 
by  Clarkson  Avenue,  comprising  about  twenty  lots,  was  pur- 
chased to  square  the  lines  of  the  property,  at  an  expense  to  the 
Association  of  $2,857.40. 

It  is  but  natural  to  suppose  that,  with  the  advance  in  surgery, 
new  fields  of  usefulness  were  opened  to  the  Association.  The 
operations  at  this  time  were  performed  in  a  comparatively  small 
room,  with  artificial  Hght  and  inadequate  appliances.  Mr.  Marx 
B.  Loeb  (who  had  been  Treasurer  and  a  Director  of  the  Associa- 
tion, and  who  was  always  deeply  interested  in  its  work)  and  his 
wife  offered,  on  May  26,  1901,  to  erect  and  equip  a  building  for 
use  as  an  operating  room,  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Loeb's  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Frank,  and  her  brother,  Henry  S.  Frank. 
This  offer  was  accepted  by  the  Association  at  its  twenty-sixth 
annual  meeting;  the  corner-stone  was  laid  Sunday,  June  i,  1902, 
and  the  building  dedicated  October  4,  1903. 


20 

The  building  is  two  stories  in  height,  25  by  40  feet,  is  of  fire- 
proof construction,  connected  with  the  main  Hospital  building 
by  a  bridged  covered  way,  and  is  easily  reached  from  all  portions 
of  the  old  Hospital,  as  well  as  the  Guggenheim  Pay  Wing.  The 
exterior  walls  are  of  gray  Conshohocken  stone  in  the  basement 
and  buff  brick  in  the  main  story.  The  roof  is  built  of  steel 
trusses,  and  has  an  exterior  covering  of  slate,  copper  and  glass. 
The  floors  throughout  are  of  iron  girders  and  concrete  filling, 
finished  above  with  cement  and  tile.  It  is  built  at  an  acute 
angle  with  the  main  Hospital,  so  as  to  provide  the  best  light- 
ing for  the  operating  tables.  A  wide  passage  leads  from  the  main 
Hospital  building  to  the  two  recovery  rooms,  through  the  ether- 
izing room  into  the  operating  room.  This  room  is  16  feet  wide, 
24  feet  long  and  15  feet  high,  is  constructed  on  the  octagon  plan, 
and,  in  addition  to  windows,  is  lighted  by  a  large  skylight  with  a 
diffusing  sash  of  ground  glass.  The  walls  and  ceiUng  are  lined 
with  opalite  glass  tile  and  the  floor  with  hexagon  sanitary  tile. 
The  room  is  fitted  up  with  all  the  most  modern  appliances  and 
apparatus  for  operations.  The  building  is  steam-heated.  The 
instrument  room  is  directly  connected  with  the  operating  room, 
and  a  stairway  leads  to  the  basement,  in  which  are  located  the 
robing-rooms,  toilet,  bathrooms,  lockers,  sterilizing  and  rooms 
for  storage  purposes.  A  small  addition  has  since  been  made  to 
the  west  of  the  building  and  is  used  for  sterilizing  purposes. 

The  Jewish  Hospital  Association  was  enabled,  from  its  in- 
come, to  pay  for  all  expenditures  until  the  fiscal  year  ending 
December  31,  1876.  From  that  time  it  has  been  taxed,  by  its 
beneficiaries,  far  beyond  its  receipts.  To  such  an  extent  had 
this  grown,  that  the  management  was  yearly  obliged  to  encroach 
upon  its  invested  funds.  Many  of  the  other  Jewish  charitable 
organizations  of  this  city  felt  the  same  needs,  and  to  meet  these 
conditions  and  permit  the  management  of  the  constituent  associa- 
tions to  apply  their  time  and  attention  to  the  needs  of  their 
several  institutions,  the  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities  was 
organized  in  1900.  It  is  founded  upon  what  is  known  as  the 
Liverpool  system,  the  purpose  of  which  is  the  collection  of  regular 
yearly  contributions  and  devoting  its  income  to  the  support  and 
assistance  of  local  charitable  institutions.  It  alone  collects 
subscriptions  as  well  as  dues  for  the  beneficiary  societies,  so  that 
there  is  one  central  organization  providing  funds  for  the  carrying 
on  of  the  work. 


21 

By  the  laws  of  the  Federation  it  was  provided  that  none  of 
the  beneficiary  associations  should  be  permitted  to  collect  any 
membership  dues,  give  any  balls,  bazars,  fairs,  excursions,  picnics 
or  theatrical  benefits,  or  solicit  money  or  contributions,  other 
than  permanent  endowments  or  legacies,  from  members  of  the 
Federation.  The  organization  of  this  society  was  commenced 
by  Messrs.  Max  Herzberg  and  Louis  Wolf.  During  this  year 
the  Hebrew  Charity  Ball,  which  for  forty-five  years  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  contributing  support  to  the  Jewish  Charities, 
was  abandoned  in  so  far  as  it  had  theretofore  been  conducted 
for  their  benefit. 

It  was  found,  however,  that,  with  all  the  efforts  of  the  Federa- 
tion, enough  could  not  be  secured  to  meet  the  expenditures. 
In  1901,  therefore,  the  Legislative  and  Executive  Departments 
of  this  State  appropriated  $10,000  for  maintenance  for  two  years, 
and  since  then  regular  appropriations  have  been  made,  by  reason 
of  which  much  aid  has  been  given  which  otherwise  would  have 
been  denied. 

Originally,  institutional  treatment  was  considered  as  only 
fitting  for  the  poor;  but  time  has  demonstrated  that,  with  the 
facilities  of  modern  hospitals,  permanent  restoration  to  health 
is  more  readily  secured  and  the  treatment  there  received  more 
conducive  to  the  return  to  normal  conditions.  We  have,  there- 
fore, of  late  witnessed  the  establishment  of  institutions  for  the 
care  of  the  sick,  other  than  those  applying  for  charitable  treat- 
ment. It  was  but  natural  for  the  progressive  management  of 
the  Association's  affairs  to  meet  this  demand,  using  it,  at  the 
same  time,  as  a  means  of  extending  their  aid  to  the  deserving 
poor. 

On  November  18,  1901,  the  late  Meyer  Guggenheim  addressed 
a  communication  to  the  Hon.  Mayer  Sulzberger,  informing  him 
that  his  attention  had  been  called  to  the  annual  deficit  in  the 
finances  of  the  Jewish  Hospital,  and  stating  his  behef  that  if  a 
private  hospital  was  built,  a  sufficient  income  might  be  secured 
to  largely  overcome  this  deficit.  He,  therefore,  signified  his 
willingness  to  donate  a  sum  not  exceeding  $60,000  (subsequently 
increased  to  $80,000)  for  the  erection  of  a  private  hospital,  to 
be  known  as  the  Meyer  Guggenheim  Private  Hospital.  This 
munificent  offer  was  gratefully  accepted  and  a  Building  Com- 
mittee at  once  appointed.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  Sunday, 
June  I,  1902,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  October  4,  1903. 


22 

It  is  operated  as  a  pay  hospital  and  is  planned  without  wards, 
the  bedrooms  being  connected  with  bathrooms  en  suite.  It  is 
red  terra-cotta  and  brick,  with  stone  basement.  The  main  front 
is  on  Thirteenth  Street,  the  southern  end  being  connected  with 
the  Hospital  building  by  a  new  entrance  hall.  It  has  a  breadth 
on  Thirteenth  Street  of  145  feet  and  a  width  of  34  feet.  It  is 
broken  by  a  series  of  pilasters,  which  extend  over  two  stories, 
having  Ionic  capitals.  There  is  an  attic  story  above  the  main 
cornice,  and  the  center  pavilion  is  crowned  with  a  pediment. 
The  building  is  also  entered  from  the  south  opposite  the  Home 
building.  On  the  first  floor  are  the  resident  physicians',  recep- 
tion and  bedrooms.  A  main  corridor  runs  the  entire  length  of 
the  building,  from  the  sun-parlor  on  the  south  to  the  fire-escape 
on  the  north.  The  building  is  four  stories  in  height,  with  a  cellar, 
and  a  loft  over  the  center  pavilion,  from  which  the  roof -gardens 
over  the  wings  are  reached. 

The  plans  of  each  floor  are  similar,  having  a  diet-kitchen, 
sun-parlor  and  groups  of  private  and  general  bath  and  toilet- 
rooms.  The  floors  are  reached  by  an  elevator  and  by  a  stairway 
of  iron  and  marble.  The  vestibule,  entrance  hall,  corridors  and 
staircases  are  wainscoted  with  white  marble,  and  the  floors  are 
of  mosaic  marble.  The  building  is  heated  with  steam,  modern 
plumbing  is  used  throughout,  and  in  addition  to  the  toilet  and 
bathrooms  on  each  floor,  there  is  in  the  basement  a  needle,  vapor 
and  sitz  bath,  as  well  as  a  large  room  for  hydro-therapeutic 
treatment.  The  building  is  built  to  accommodate  42  patients, 
and  cost,  with  furnishings,  $91,344.82.  It  has  been  a  source  of 
much  good  to  the  community,  both  by  the  direct  aid  to  pay 
patients,  as  well  as  indirectly  to  the  poor. 

The  construction  of  the  Henry  S.  Frank  Memorial  Synagogue, 
the  Loeb  Operating  Building  and  the  Guggenheim  Wing  for 
Pay  Patients  brought  in  its  wake  many  needed  improvements. 
The  old  frame  building,  which  had  first  been  used  for  an  Old 
Folks'  Home,  was  demolished ;  the  old  Synagogue  was  converted 
into  two  surgical  wards  of  three  beds  each,  divided  by  a  wide  cor- 
ridor connecting  with  the  operating  room;  the  Isaac  Leeser 
Memorial  Window  was  placed  in  the  meeting-room  of  the  Board 
of  Officers;  two  children's  wards  were  fitted  up  between  the  Hos- 
pital building  and  the  Meyer  Guggenheim  Private  Hospital. 
They  both  have  a  southern  exposure,  and  are  capable  of  re- 
ceiving sixteen  beds  for  children.     One  has  been  designated  as 


23 

the  "Henry  M.  Phillips  Ward."  It  is  13  feet  9  inches  by  27  feet 
4  inches,  and  was  endowed  by  the  bequest  of  Emily  Phillips; 
the  other  is  the  "Simon  Muhr  Ward,"  endowed  by  the  liberal 
gifts  from  the  estate  of  that  eminent  citizen.  It  is  19  feet  6 
inches  by  17  feet  6  inches. 

New  roads  were  constructed,  and  the  entrance  to  the  grounds 
removed  from  Clarkson  Avenue  to  a  point  about  150  feet  north, 
at  which  were  erected  six  white  granite  columns,  previously  used 
as  part  of  the  U.  S.  Mint  on  Chestnut  Street  below  Broad  Street. 
The  entrance  to  the  Hospital  was  also  changed  to  the  southwest 
side  of  the  Hospital  building,  almost  directly  north  of  the  entrance 
to  the  Home  building,  and  east  of  the  line  of  Thirteenth  Street. 

A  serious  drawback  in  connection  with  the  training  of  the 
nurses  was  the  lack  of  proper  accommodations  for  their  comfort. 
Their  quarters  were  small  and  ill-arranged,  and  it  was  felt  that 
when  women  perform  the  severe  work  necessary  to  the  proper 
discharge  of  their  duties,  they  should,  when  off  duty,  have 
reasonable  comfort  and  conveniences  and  be  removed  from  the 
atmosphere  of  the  Hospital.  It  was  also  deemed  advisable  to 
arrange  for  the  proper  care  of  persons  who  might,  while  in- 
mates of  the  Hospital,  develop  contagious  diseases,  and  that 
they  might  be  properly  provided  for  at  some  place  without  peril 
of  infection  to  the  other  inmates.  By  reason  of  the  Hospital 
being  a  part  of  the  Federation,  it  was  not  deemed  wise  to  urge 
appropriation  for  these  highly  necessary  purposes,  and  the 
President,  in  his  report  to  the  thirty-seventh  annual  meeting, 
held  May  29,  1902,  called  the  attention  of  the  members  to  these 
urgent  requirements,  stating  that  it  was  necessary  to  either 
"rely  on  the  generosity  of  philanthropic  friends  or  alternatively 
await  the  development  and  further  extension  of  the  Federation 
system."  It  was  not  long  before  both  these  appeals  were 
answered. 

The  attention  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Eisner  was  called  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  nurses  by  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Julius  Sondheim,  of 
the  Ladies'  Visiting  Committee.  On  May  31,  1902,  Mrs.  Eisner 
advised  the  Board  of  Officers  that  she  was  prepared  to  donate  a 
sum  not  exceeding  $20,000  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building 
to  be  known  as  the  "Eisner  Home  for  Nurses."  It  was  grate- 
fully accepted  by  the  Board,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  Sunday, 
October  26,  1902,  and  the  building  was  completed  March  6,  1903, 
and  dedicated  October  4,  1903.     The  site  selected  was  east  of 


24 

the  Dispensary  and  northeast  of  the  Luclen  Moss  Home,  at  the 
junction  of  Twelfth  Street  and  Tabor  Road.  It  is  designed  on 
the  villa  style,  and  is  33  feet  wide  and  66  feet  long.  The  en- 
trance has  a  porch  built  of  handsome  stone  arches  upon  the 
southern  end,  while  on  the  northern  end  is  a  circular  detached 
tower  fire-escape.  The  structure  is  three  stories  with  a  base- 
ment; it  is  of  gray  Conshohocken  stone  in  the  lower  story,  the 
second  story  of  red  brick  and  the  upper  story  of  slated  mansard 
roof.  On  the  main  floor  are  reception-room,  parlor,  sitting  and 
bedroom,  Chief  Nurse's  room,  with  bedrooms  and  bathrooms 
for  nurses.  The  second  and  third  floors  contain  bedrooms  with 
baths.  There  is  also  a  gymnasium  in  the  basement  and  the 
building  is  heated  with  steam.  The  building  will  accommodate 
35  nurses. 

The  building  for  the  care  of  persons  who  might  become 
afflicted  with  contagious  or  infectious  diseases  while  patients  in 
the  Hospital  was  erected  through  the  beneficence  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in  appropriating,  in  1903,  the 
sum  of  $10,000.  This  building  is  situate  on  Clarkson  Avenue, 
about  200  feet  southeast  of  the  Lucien  Moss  Home,  and  about  150 
feet  east  of  the  stable.  It  is  built  of  stone  similar  to  the  Hospital 
and  Home  buildings,  is  one  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  six  large 
rooms,  necessary  baths,  toilets,  kitchen,  laundry,  disinfecting 
rooms,  apothecary's  room,  linen  closet,  bed  and  bathrooms  for 
doctors  and  nurses. 

The  Association  was  likewise  aided  in  its  labors  by  the  appro- 
priation, in  1907,  of  $5,000  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  for  the 
erection  of  a  Morgue  and  Laboratory.  It  is  one  story  in  height, 
is  constructed  of  stone,  on  the  line  of  Clarkson  Avenue,  west  of 
the  Isolation  Building,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $6,687.55. 

On  February  6,  1907,  Mrs.  Louis  Fleisher  signified  to  the 
Board  of  Officers  her  desire  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  her 
sister.  Dr.  Rebecca  Fleisher,  by  erecting  solariums  for  the  use  of 
patients.  They  were  built  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Hospital 
building  and  connected  therewith.  By  this  addition,  the  con- 
valescent ward  patients  are  furnished  suitable  sitting-rooms 
and  sun-parlors  in  which  they  spend  much  of  their  time.  The 
solarium  was  opened  to  patients  October  13,  1907. 

Conflagrations  are,  ordinarily,  the  means  of  much  loss  and 
distress.  In  a  hospital  they  may  be  attended  with  dire  conse- 
quences.    The  records  of  the  Association  show  only  two  fires, 


25 

one  on  November  12,  1875,  about  8  p.m.,  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  building,  then  used  as  the  female  department  of 
the  Home.  Furniture  was  damaged  in  the  sum  of  $100,  and 
the  building  $322.92.  The  money  realized  from  insurance  was 
spent  in  installation  of  steam  heating.  The  other  occurred  on 
September  29,  1890,  in  the  Dispensary,  and  was  caused  by  spon- 
taneous combustion.  The  damage  was  trifling.  Notwithstanding 
this  record,  however,  in  view  of  the  many  additions  to  the  build- 
ings and  the  erection  of  so  many  new  buildings,  the  Board  of 
Officers  deemed  it  imperative  to  provide  some  adequate  system 
of  fire  protection.  Therefore,  an  independent  12-inch  main  was 
put  in,  extending  from  York  Road  to  the  pump  house,  connected 
with  a  fire-pump  having  a  capacity  of  750  gallons  per  minute; 
12  outside  fire-plugs,  fire  station  on  each  floor  of  the  main  build- 
ings, sufficient  hose  to  reach  every  point,  axes,  chemical  extin- 
guishers and  other  necessary  appliances  were  installed  in  1907. 
A  large  fire-pump  house  is  centrally  located  in  the  group  of 
buildings.  It  is  built  of  stone,  and  was  constructed  so  as  to 
provide  against  the  danger  of  being  crushed  by  falling  walls. 
Besides  the  fire-pump,  it  contains  a  40-gallon  chemical  engine, 
hose-cart,  600  feet  of  hose,  extension  ladders  and  other  fire- 
extinguishing  appliances.     The  entire  cost  was  $12,287.29. 

The  liberal  donation,  in  1907,  by  Mr.  Felix  Isman  of  a  tri- 
angular tract,  containing  about  one-half  an  acre  of  ground,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Clarkson  Avenue  and  Tenth  Street, 
enabled  the  Association  to  square  its  property  at  that  point. 

The  latest  addition  to  the  beautiful  group  of  buildings  be- 
longing to  the  Jewish  Hospital  Association  is  the  structure 
known  as  "The  Pennsylvania  Building."  It  is  used  as  a  Surgical 
Ward  and  Nurses'  Home.  It  was  erected  through  an  appro- 
priation of  $30,000,  made  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
building  was  started  on  the  sixth  day  of  March,  1908,  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  with  Masonic  ceremonies  on  the  second  day  of 
June,  1908,  and  was  opened,  completely  furnished,  on  Thanks- 
giving day,  November  26,  1908.  The  expense  of  the  purchase 
of  the  furniture  was  borne  by  the  Board  of  Officers  and  the 
Women's  Auxiliary  Committee.  The  building  is  directly  north 
of  the  Lucien  Moss  Home,  to  the  east  of  the  Dispensary,  and  is 
close  upon  Tabor  Road.  Its  architecture  is  in  the  style  of  the 
English  Renaissance;  the  first  story  is  of  local  gray  stone  rubble, 
the  second  and  third  stories  are  of  brick.     The  roof  is  of  slate. 


26 

The  inside  area  is  35  feet  by  71  feet.  The  first  floor  is  occupied 
as  a  surgical  ward;  is  31  feet  8  inches  by  28  feet  10  inches.  The 
remainder  of  the  floor,  as  well  as  the  basement  (which  is  entirely 
out  of  ground),  is  devoted  to  surgical  bedrooms  and  bathrooms. 
At  the  northeast  corner  of  the  building  is  the  fire-tower.  The 
second  and  third  floors  are  devoted  to  bedrooms,  eleven  in  num- 
ber on  each  floor,  together  with  necessary  baths,  arranged  on 
either  side  of  a  central  corridor,  which  runs  the  entire  length 
of  the  building.  It  is  electrically  wired  and  is  provided  with 
steam  heat. 

From  time  to  time  changes  were  made  in  the  management  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Association.  On  January  31,  1889,  provision 
was  made  for  the  election,  by  the  Board  of  Officers,  of  fifteen 
ladies,  whose  term  of  office  should  be  three  years;  at  the  twenty- 
fifth  annual  meeting,  held  January  12,  1890,  a  class  of  members 
was  formed,  who,  being  willing  to  contribute  $100  annually, 
were  termed  "Friends."  This  provision  became  a  part  of  the 
Constitution  by  amendment  adopted  at  the  annual  meeting, 
held  May  28,  1893,  at  which  time  a  class  of  members  was  pro- 
vided for  who  paid  $10  annually,  and  who  were  known  as  Con- 
tributors to  the  Incurable  Ward. 

At  the  twenty-sixth  annual  meeting,  held  January  11,  1891, 
a  general  committee  of  thirty-six,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent, none  of  whom,  however,  were  to  be  members  of  the  Board 
of  Officers,  was  formed,  whose  duty  it  was  to  visit  the  Hospital 
and  Home  during  such  months  as  might  be  assigned  to  them, 
and  make  a  report  to  the  President  and  the  Board  of  Officers. 
This  was  subsequently  placed  upon  the  Board  of  Officers.  At 
the  same  meeting,  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  was  changed  from 
December  31st  to  the  last  Sunday  in  May  in  each  year,  and 
provision  made  that  the  annual  meetings,  which  theretofore  had 
been  held  at  Handel  and  Haydn  Hall,  Eighth  and  Spring  Garden 
Streets,  at  the  M  ercantile  Hall,  and  at  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Hebrew  Association,  should  be  held  at  the  Hospital. 
On  April  9,  1894,  provision  was  made  for  the  designation  as 
Honorary  Directors  of  those  who  had  served  ten  years  or  more 
(amended  May  28,  1905,  to  make  the  term  of  service  15  years), 
and  for  a  more  speedy  method  of  amending  the  Constitution. 
On  November  5,  1893,  there  was  formed  an  Auxiliary  Aid  Society, 
to  assist  in  the  financial  support  of  the  Association.  At  the 
thirty-fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  held  May  28, 


27 

1899.  the  benefits  of  the  Home  for  the  Aged  were  extended  to 
those  residing  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia  or  its  immediate 
vicinity,  and  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  Pennsylvania 
were  accepted.  Three  Vice-Presidents  were  provided  for  by 
amendments  adopted  May  31,  1903,  and  Honorary  Membership 
conferred  upon  members  of  the  Ladies'  Visiting  Committee  who 
served  for  more  than  twenty  successive  years. 

No  history  of  the  Association  would  be  complete  without  at 
least  the  mention  of  the  names  of  those  who,  by  their  untiring 
efTorts,  have  brought  it  to  its  present  high  position.  A  list  of 
officers,  etc.,  is  hereto  attached.  How  nobly  they  have  labored 
is  attested  by  those  well-equipped  buildings  that  have  been 
reared,  and  by  a  continuous  record  of  forty-three  years'  service 
in  the  cause  of  humanity.  Many  of  them  have  joined  the  "great 
majority,"  but  they  have  left  for  the  present  and  future  genera- 
tions an  institution  firmly  established  in  the  hearts  of  an  appre- 
ciative community,  fully  equipped  to  help  the  distressed  and 
afflicted.  "A  wise  God  shrouds  the  future  in  obscure  darkness;" 
but  the  citizens  of  this  State  may  confidently  gauge  their  antici- 
pations by  past  records.  The  Jewish  Hospital  Association  will, 
by  the  continued  application  of  the  broad  principles  which  have 
in  the  past  guided  its  management,  not  only  continue  to  alleviate 
suffering  and  care  for  the  poor  and  afflicted  in  their  declining 
days,  but  it  will  also  be  one  of  the  most  important  causes  which 
will  eventually  unite  mankind  into  one  brotherhood. 

"For  He  who  gave  this  vast  machine  to  roll. 
Breathed  life  in  them,  in  us  a  reasoning  soul. 
That  kindred  feelings  might  our  state  improve, 
And  mutual  wants  conduct  to  mutual  love." 


28 

PRESIDENTS. 

Alfred  T.  Jones 1865-1871 

Abraham  S.  Wolf 1871-1878 

WlLLL\M    B.    HaCKENBURG 1878- 

VI CE-PRESI  DENTS. 

Isadore  Binswanger 1865-1869 

Abraham  S,  Wolf 1869-1871 

Abraham  Goldsmith 1871-1891 

Simon  Muhr 1891-1895 

Hon.  Mayer  Sulzberger 1895- 

SECOND  VICE-PRESIDENT. 
Isidore  Langsdorf  1904- 

THIRD  VICE-PRESIDENT. 
Benjamin  Wolf 1904- 

TREASURERS. 

S.  Weil 1865-1869 

William  B.  Hackenburg 1869-1878 

Marx  B.  Loeb 1878-1880 

August  B.  Loeb 1880- 

SECRETARIES. 

Mayer  Sulzberger 1865-1869 

Henry  J.  Hunt 1869-1875 

Joseph  L.  Berg 1875-1880 

Simon  A.  Stern 1880-1894 

Ephraim  Lederer. 1894-1902 

Henry  N.  Wessel 1902- 

corresponding  secretaries. 

Henry  J.  Hunt 1865-1869 

S.  Hecht 1869  -1875 

Simon  Pfaelzer 1875-1890 

Jacob  Wiener 1890-1891 

Herman  Jonas 1891-1902 

Arthur  A.  Fleisher 1902- 

MESSENGER. 
Alexander  Goodman 1865-1875 


29 

RESIDENT   PHYSICIANS. 

Dr.  a.  Feldstein 1865-1876 

Dr.  George  S.  Kemble 1876-1878 

Dr.  Aloys  Schappringer 1 878-1 883 

Dr.  Jos.  B.  Potsdamer 1883-1884 

Dr.  Morris  S.  Cohen 1884-1888 

Dr.  Bernard  R.  Lee 1888-1889 

Dr.  Jacob  S.  Pragheimer 1 889-1 890 

Dr.  William  H.  Teller 1890-1893 

Dr.  Jay  C.  Knipe 1 893-1897 

Dr.  Edwin  A.  Jarecki 1897- 

STEWARDS. 

S.  W.  Kronheimer 1866-1875 

Moses  E.  Cohen 1875-1876 

Moses  Klein 1890- 1891 

SUPERINTENDENT  AND  RESIDENT 

PHYSICIAN. 

Dr.  a.  Feldstein 1873  -1876 

SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Moses  E.  Cohen 1876-1877 

Max  Thalheimer 1877-1890 

Esther  A.  Davidson 1890-1892 

Edward  Gruner 1892-1896 

Selig  Rosenbluth 1896-1904 

Berthold  Hevessy 1904- 

MATRONS. 

Mrs.  S.  W.  Kronheimer 1 866-1875 

Mrs.  Moses  E.  Cohen 1875-1877 

Mrs.  Max  Thalheimer 1877-1890 

Mrs.  Edward  Gruner 1893-1895 

Dr.  Anna  S.  Rosenbluth 1 896-1904 

Mrs.  Otillie  Hevessy 1904- 

CHIEF   NURSES. 

Miss  Douglass  Benson 1894-1897 

Miss  Elizabeth  Hanson 1897-1901 

Miss  Anna  Maybee Until  August  i,  1901 


30 

Miss  Fannie  Ochser.  .August  i,  1901,  to  July  i,  1902 

Miss  Carrie  S.  Louer Sept    i,  1Q02-1905 

Miss  Margaret  P.  Pridham 1905- 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  OFFICERS 

other  than  president,  vice-president,  treasurer,   secre- 
tary and  corresponding  secretary,  who  are 
ex-officio  members  of  the  board, 

Alexander,  S 1866-1872 

Arnold,  Hezekiah 1866-1869 

Arnold,  Simon  W 1871-1875 

Bayersdorfer,  M.  M 1866-1869 

Blumenthal,  Herman  B 1887-1905 

Bamberger,  Maurice 1 897-1902 

Blum,  Gabriel 1904- 

Bamberger,  Max 1905- 

Einstein,  Jos 1866-1873 

EzEKiEL,  Simon 1866-1869 

Ellis,  Joseph  D 1869-1870 

Ephraim,  Jules  E 1869-1877 

Frechie,  Abm.  M 1870-1871 

Friedman,  Herman  S 1875-1878 

Frank,  Henry  S 1880-1890 

Fleisher,  Simon  B 1885- 

Fernberger,  Henry 1897- 

GoLDSMiTH,  Abm 1869-1871 

Gans,  Solomon 1869-1896 

Gerstley,  Louis 1894-1897  and  1903- 

Greenwald,  Joseph  L 1895- 

Ginsburg,  Hyman 1901-1904 

Gimbel,  Benedict 1905-1907 

Gimbel,  Isaac 1907- 

Hecht,  Samuel 1866-1869 

Hackenburg,  Wm.  B 1866-1869 

Hirsch,  Michael  C 1878-1881 

Isaacs,  Judah 1866-1880 

Jones,  Alfred  T 1872-1884 

Kaufman,  Jacob 1875-1882 

KoHN,  Isaac 1878-1885 

KoHN,  Simon  1 1887- 


31 

KoHN,  Arnold 1891-1896 

KoHN,  Abram  M 1896- 

KiRSHBAUM,  David 1897- 1903 

Kind,  Frank 1905- 

Leeser,  Rev.  Isaac 1866-1868 

Levy,  Judah 1869-1870 

LoEB,  Marx  B 1873-1878 

Lighten,  Aaron 1878-1898 

LiVERiGHT,  Max 1884- 

Langsdorf,  Isidore 1896-1904 

Lit,  Samuel  D 1899- 

Lederer,  Ephraim 1902- 

LoEB,  Oscar  D 1905- 

Moss,  LuciEN 1869-1878,  1880-1895 

Massman,  Alfred  E 1877-1886 

MuHR,  Simon 1881-1891 

Rosenbach,  M 1869-1880 

RosENBAUM,  Joseph 1871-1873 

RosENBAUM,  Morris 1899- 

Sulzberger,  Mayer 1869- 

SULZBERGER,    AbM I873-1887 

Saller,  Louis 1882-1891 

Strouse,  Nathan 1886-1887 

Stern,  Simon  A 1894-1904 

Steinbach,  Dr.  L.  W 1895- 

Stern,  Edward 1904- 

Snellenburg,  Joseph  N 1904- 

Thalheimer,  M 1866-1875 

Wolf,  Abraham  S 1866-1869 

Wolf,  Abraham 1870-1897 

Wolf,  Edward 1890-1897 

Wiener,  Jacob 1891- 

WoLF,  Benjamin 1894- 

WisE,  August 1894- 

WOMEN'S  AUXILIARY   COMMITTEE. 

Adler,  Mrs.  S 1870-1875 

Arnold,  Mrs.  Hezekiah  W 1 893-1 894 

Binswanger,  Mrs.  Isidore 1 876-1 889 

Berg,  Mrs.  Leon 1879-1880 


32 

Bamberger,  Mrs.  Max 1889-1907 

Bacharach,  Mrs.  Augustus 1 891-1894 

Dannenbaum,  Mrs.  Henrietta 1889- 

EiNSTEiN,  Mrs.  J 1870-1876 

Engel,  Mrs.  Jacob  M 1894-1898 

Feustman,  Mrs.  B.  H 1875-1882 

Frank,  Mrs.  Rose 1878- 

FrIedman,  Mrs.  Herman  S 1889-1891 

Fleisher,  Dr.  Rebecca 1 889-1 891 

Fleisher,  Mrs.  Moyer 1899- 

GoLDSMiTH,  Mrs.  P 1870-1876 

Gimbel,  Mrs.  Isaac 1899- 

Gerstley,  Mrs.  Louis 1907- 

Hano,  Mrs.  Simon 1876-1881 

Hackenburg,  Mrs.  Wm.  B 1881- 

Hyman,  Mrs.  Adolph 1894-1895 

Isaacs,  Mrs.  J 1870-1880 

Jonas,  Miss  Frieda 1903- 

Kahn,  Mrs.  Abm. 1870-1873 

Kaufman,  Mrs.  C 1875-1900 

Langsdorf,  Mrs.  J 1870-1876 

Levy,  Miss  Amanda  O 1882-1885 

LoEB,  Mrs.  Jacob 1889-1899 

Liveright,  Mrs.  Simon 1889- 

Mayer,  Mrs.  C 1870-1875 

Moyer,  Mrs.  M 1870-1874 

Moss,  Mrs.  Lucien,  1873-1878,  1880-1883, 1885-1890 

Mayer,  Mrs.  Levi 1875-1899 

Marschuetz,  Mrs.  Joseph 1890- 

Muhr,  Mrs.  Fannie 1896- 

Newhouse,  Mrs.  Frank 1891-1893 

Pollock,  Mrs.  Louis 1877-1878 

Pfaelzer,  Mrs.  Morris 1882- 

Rubin,  Mrs.  Jos.  H 1900- 

Stern,  Mrs.  Marcus 1878-1882 

Saller,  Mrs.  Isaac 1880-1906 

Saller,  Mrs.  Louis 1883- 

Selig,  Mrs.  Bernard 1889- 

Sulzberger,  Miss  Fannie 1 895-1 896 

SoNDHEiM,  Mrs.  Julius 1899- 

Wolf,  Mrs.  A.  S 1870-1879 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


TO  THE 


HISTORY    OF    THE    HOSPITAL 


ALFRED   T.  JONES 

President 

1865  —  1871 


ABRAHAM  S.  WOLF 

President 

1871  —  1878 


MRS   ABRAHAM  ADLER 


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WILLIAM   B.  HACKENBURG 

President 

1S78  — 


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HON.  EDWIN  S.  STUART 

Governor  of  Pennsylvania 

1907  —  1911 


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